Erin Bates is on the path to recovery after weathering a harrowing health ordeal. Following complications after the birth of her and husband Chad Paine’s seventh child, Henry, Chad shared a heartfelt update on Erin’s condition. “With tears in our eyes, we are praising the Lord that we are on the road to recovery,” Chad wrote on Instagram on September 6, accompanying his post with a touching video of Erin, awake and showering their newborn son with kisses. “Your prayers have truly reached the heavens.”
This hopeful update came just two days after Chad revealed on September 4 that Erin had endured a “prolonged and severe seizure” and had been admitted to the ICU after developing a severe urinary tract infection (UTI) and kidney infection, which subsequently led to septic shock shortly after giving birth. “Up to this point, Erin’s infection had been improving, but we found ourselves once again in a place of heartache, uncertainty, and tears,” Chad, who also shares children Carson, 10; Brooklyn, 8; Everly, 7; Holland, 5; Finley, 3; and William, 22 months, with Erin, wrote on Instagram. “The doctors are conducting scans and tests to determine the cause. Erin is extremely weak and spent hours only half-conscious.”
“As her husband, witnessing her struggle and feeling utterly helpless to alleviate her suffering has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life,” he continued. “I love her more deeply than words can express, and I can’t even fathom life without my best friend.”
Alongside Chad, many of Erin’s 18 siblings rallied together to offer their support during her hospitalization. Sharing a photo of Erin cradling Henry, Erin’s older sister Michaela Bates Keilen expressed her family’s overwhelming gratitude for the outpouring of love, concern, and prayers. “A huge thank you to everyone who has been praying for my sister Erin and her family over the past few days,” she wrote on Instagram on September 4. “Though I haven’t been able to respond to every message, please know that the comments, texts, and messages have deeply touched our hearts, and we are incredibly grateful.”
Michaela also gushed about Erin’s baby boy, saying, “Henry is an absolute angel baby, and we are completely in love with him.”
In the comments section, Whitney Bates—the wife of Erin’s older brother Zachary Bates—wrote that the couple is “continuing to send Erin all our love and praying fervently for her.” Meanwhile, several of Erin’s other siblings voiced their support for Erin and Chad under Chad’s September 4 update on Erin’s health.
Her younger sister Katie Bates Clark wrote that she and her husband Travis Clark are “praying for you,” while her younger brother Lawson Bates added that he and his wife Tiffany Espensen are “Continuing to pray every day for a miraculous healing.”
